The Glow Up |Living my best life | Experimenting with a healthier lifestyle & Making every moment count

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Have you ever looked at someone and though, gosh, I want to be just like you? Confident people used to have me thinking that they had some kind of super power that they were born with and me being a mere mortal would never be able to stand so tall and walk around with such a badas attitudes, truth is anyone can be a boss , all you need are the right tools and attitude and you too can unlock that I am the ish gene.

Today, I am gonna be a boss

I really believe in the power of positive thinking, if you walk around with a cloud of negativity and self doubt weighing you down, you are bound to project those feelings to the world. No one is on 100 all the time and of course we have times where we just want to stick our head in the ground and hide away but realistically where is that going to get you? You have to be your own hype man, your own cheerleader. When you wake up and make the world most instagramable avocado toast, take a moment and pat yourself on the back. There is no one like you in this world therefore there is no one who can do the things you do. Play that song that always makes you feel awesome, pop your headphones on and go out into the world with that mindset.
If at first you don’t succeed, dust your self off and try again

Failing at something or being rejected is the worst, you feel crap and most of the time you just wanna crawl into a whole and scold yourself for evening trying. It’s understandable but the difference between you and Amy the boss ass B that you love to hate because she gets the things you want, is that she probably doesn’t give up when things don’t work out. If you have a goal and you are set on reaching that goal, you should expect that things will not be easy, set backs should be a part of the plan, what you should do is learn from the experience and adapt your approach or technique and give it another shot. You aren’t here to sit on the sidelines watching others score and make moves, you are Lionel messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, you’re gonna keep taking shots until you score, it may take a while but eventually you will get your goals.

Treat yo’ self…to a new wardrobe

Okay maybe not a wardrobe but a couple of outfits or two that won’t break the bank. This one is simple, when we look our best it makes us feel great, when you are wearing a nice outfit no body can tell you that you aren’t the bee’s knees. The world is superficial on a level, it’s just the way things are, when you look like a 10 and feel like a 10, honey everyone is going to see and treat you as such and that will give you a little boost.
Love yo’self

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy, Loving who you are as a person is going to make you glow from within, that in itself is one of the biggest sources of self confidence. It’s hard to look past the negative thoughts that we may have of ourselves, the most productive thing to do is to analyse what you are unhappy with and work on fixing it , if it’s something that’s out of your control maybe work on accepting it. You may not like yourself all the time but you should love who you are, if you don’t appreciate the amazingness that is you, then no one will.

So those are my best tips to help you become more confident, in all honesty these tips have helped me a lot. Confidence is something that you’ll probably continuously build on through life, but like most things, the more you work on it the better you will be at it. You can do anything you put your mind to 🙂

Okay I know it’s summer and it should be all about light lunches and salads and all that lovely stuff but, I have to be honest sometimes I just crave a warm filling soup or stew and there’s nothing wrong with that.
So today I will be sharing my noodle soup recipe its simple and delicious and I will be taking it to work a couple of times this week.﻿Ingredients﻿
Udon Noodles

2 Vegetable Stock Cubes

1 Bag of Asda Frozen Mixed Vegetable Steambag

1/4 Cup of Sweetcorn

Cayenne Pepper to taste
Add frozen vegetable into a saucepan and sauté until vegetables are semi thawed.

Add stock cubes to a pint of boiling water, add spices to taste. Stir and add to the pan.

Once the mixture is simmering add udon noodles, leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
And we’re done 🙂 Like I said it’s so simple but it is so delicious and the perfect comfort food, I like the fact that the soup is broth-y but if you’d like i thicker you could probably add some cornflour to thicken. This recipe is great if you’ve got left over Sunday roast vegetables you’d like to use up and if you eat meat then you could definitely add your left over roast beef or chicken.

Brighton is one of my favourite places in the world, as soon as I step of the train from London I feel an instant jolt of happiness, it literally happens every time like some kind of happiness electric shock as soon as my foot touches the platform. This past Saturday my friend and I decided to go for an afternoon of sun, sea and food, we explored The Laines and all the cute little independent stores and we had lunch at La Choza Mexican restaurant which was recommended by trip advisor as well as one of her friends.
La Choza

I have to be honest I couldn’t help but smile as we turned on to the street that La Choza is located on the building itself is so aesthetically pleasing and cute with its blue , yellow and pink store front. The colours kind of remind me of a wacky clown but in a really awesome way and the interior is decorated with Mexican sugar skulls and wrestling masks and cactai. ﻿
Con
We waited 40 minutes for a table for two, the resturaunt was quite busy but it was a Saturday afternoon so I guess it’s understandable for a smallish establishment. The food was also pretty meh, I ordered a Quesadila and expected it to blow my mind, I prefer Wahacca to be honest. It wasn’t that flavourful.
Pros
I had their slush and it blew my mind lol it wasn’t your typical corner shop slushy the ice was really fluffy if that makes sense and it had an awesome citrusy/ tropical taste, I honestly don’t know what the official flavours are but it was bomb.com . I had two at £2.50 a pop, I honestly would have ordered another to take away but I knew that would be going overboard.

Lovely atmosphere and lovely staff.

My friend ordered Nachos which she really enjoyed, they gave her quite a big substantial portion too which is awesome it was fully loaded with cheese, salsa, guacamole, beans and sour cream I wish I had gotten a picture but she kind of demolished them before I could.

All in all the food wasn’t anything special but not terrible the prices were reasonable as well £6 for starters and £8 for mains, my friend loved her nachos so maybe if I go back I’d order them as like i said the portion was a really good side. I also loved the slushy.

After lunch we went into a Sass & Belle and Tiger where I spent money on cute things I don’t need and then we made our way to the beach were we chilled and reflected before heading home.
If you guys haven’t been to Brighton I suggest you spend a day exploring, it’s a city with the most amazing vibe, really eclectic and chill and there are so many cafes and places to visit.

My love for Holland & Barrett is so real. I love going into their stores and since the one on Market Street in Manchester was refurbished I find myself going in there even when I have no reason to, I never walk out of there without a bag or two or three.

Eat Real Quinoa Crisps : I have loved the sour cream & onion version of these crisps for years, the first time i saw them was in a 99p shop in Kent and I have had an obsession with them every since. These crisps are flavour full and make you feel a little better about indulging, I would recommend picking them up whenever you get a chance, they remind of of Quavers but far more sophisticated :p 30g bag for £0.85

Yogi Detox Tea : I have gone through two boxes of this delicious tea and I will most likely continue to buy this as long as Yogi keep making it. I find this tea the perfect afternoon tea to have just before lunch. It is warming and saisiating , it contains cinnamon, licorice, cardamom and clove. It is honestly perfection in a mug. 17 tea bags for £2.35

Natures’ Way Alive! Gummy Vitamins: These Vitamins are pricey but I had a hard time with my digestion recently and the other vitamin tablets I had been taking started to irritate my stomach. These vitamins taste like sweets and contain fruit and vegetables and have a berry flavour. If you feel naeusous taking normal tablets I would recommend these gummy vitamins are great for those who have issues swallowing tablets and if you’re trying to eat a healthier diet two of these can feel like a little treat. I take the Women’s Energy which cost £14.99 and contain B12, B6 & Biotin.

Holland & Barratt Mega Vitamins for Hair: These are the BEST hair vitamins I have ever taken and I always see positive changes in the condition of my hair whenever I take them. They are pricier than standard biotin tablets and contain a a lot of vitamins like biotin, folic acid and vitamin C that help to promote hair growth and healthier hair in general. These vitamins cost £15.99 and since Holland and Barrett are always doing buy one get one half price, or penny sales there is always a way to get these for a good deal.

London Fruit & Herb Company | Green tea & Orange: This tea is my favourite green tea, I love anything citrus and I had never seen an orange infused green tea before. The flavour is very pleseant and present and this tea is honestly just as nice warm as it is cold. You get 20 tea bags and last time I checked this yummy tea is only £0.89! If you’re in the market for some green tea I suggest you go get you some as it is literally the best green tea I have tried.

It was very hard to choose 5 of my favourite products for Holland & Barratt because it is legitimately my favourite shop and I have a lot of amazing items for there. If you don’t already get your health products from them I recommend popping onto their Website or your local store because you are guaranteed to find some great stuff. They are currently having a buy one get on half price promotion so now is the best time to try their stuff out.

Today’s post will be about three awesome ingredients that you can add into a plethora of dishes for an extra boost of goodness, these foods are staples for me as they are inexpensive, readily available and are delicious alone but even tastier when you add them into meals.

The firsts of these whole foods is Quinoa. This South American grain has become popular in recent years as it is often used as a substitute for starchy carbohydrates and is awesome for those who are unable to eat a diet that contains gluten. I like to use quinoa as it is a complete protein and I like to use it to make soups heartier and as a general replacement for rice as it contains twice as much protein.

Quinoa is rich in calcium, magnesium, manganese, vitamin e and is a good source of fibre. It’s a low GI carbohydrate and contains all 9 essential amino acids as well as Omega-3 fatty acids.

This awesome wonder grain is great for those who suffer from coeliac disease as well as vegans and vegetarians that may struggle to get enough protein.

Okay, onto number two Legumes , my personal favourites are beans, I am not going to lie I normally purchase them in tinned form as they are really inexpensive and I always have them in my cupboard. My personal favourites are kidney beans, pinto beans and chickpeas although I usually just buy tins of mixed bean salad and add that into my meals.

Legumes are a source of protein and fibre and act as a great way to bulk up meat free casseroles, stews and soups. They can also be used to make meat free burgers or vegetable balls.

Studies have found that eating legumes such as black beans and kidney beans can help protect against diabetes, and heart disease and eating a healthy diet that includes legumes is going to aid in weightloss.

Legumes have really helped me to lose weight and have also had a positive impact on my digestion so I don’t think I will ever be without them and I mean who doesn’t love a good meal of beans on toast?

My third and final wonder food is Spinach. I ADORE spinach, my obsession might stem from my love of watching the cartoon Popeye when I little but it’s only grown as I have aged. I always have both frozen and fresh spinach on hand. Frozen to add into any cooked meals I make and fresh to put into my smoothies.

Spinach is an effective energy booster and a very rich source of iron which is awesome for those who suffer with anemia. Spinach also provides folic acid, Vitamin B2 & Chlorophyll. Green vegetables are generally very good for us as they are often excellent sources vitamins and minerals and spinach is no exception.

Have it in breakfast in a smoothie or in an omelette, for lunch have your spinach in a refreshing salad and for dinner, add it to a hearty vegetable stew. I personally can’t get enough of the stuff.

So there it is guys, three awesome whole foods that will only add more plant based goodness to your diet, if you don’t already consume these nutritious foods I suggest you give them a go.

Hi guys, just a short update to you all, I ended up losing 6 lbs this week and I am stoked, I know that this weight-loss is partly water weight but a loss is still a loss and thats nearly half a stone! It’s not all about the number on the scale but seeing such a decrease this week has helped to keep me motivated to carry on with a healthy lifestyle.

I am not going to lie I did eat a couple packets of crisps throughout the week,work was very busy and decided I would treat myself to some Cheese and Onion crisps but I don’t feel bad about it, it happened and thats that really. I also ate out once this week as it was my housemates birthday which meant that I ate after 4pm on one day.

In all honesty I am not sure if the intermittent fasting made much of a difference, I am a big snacker so restricting the time window in which I could eat meant that I couldn’t spend the evenings stuffing my face but I could just have easily stuck to the diet 100 % and spread my meals across the day. I have to admit that I did end up sleeping better which is awesome because I tend to average around 4 hours of horrible sleep most nights but I think that was down to not eating crappy foods or consuming caffeine and sugar.

All in all I think Low Carb is still the best way of eating for me and I will continue to eat that way for the foreseeable future as I think it’s the fastest way to drop weight. I might try intermittent fasting again as I like the idea of keeping my food intake within a certain time window and I assume that I’d be able to notice more health benefits over a longer time period.

This week I am doing a intermittent fasting low carb body reboot. I find eating low carb gives me the best weight loss and I have heard great things about fasting so I thought it would be good time to give it a go. This week I will be eating between 8 am – 4pm. I never normally eat early in the morning so I know that it will be a struggle but it’s the perfect opportunity to start making new habits, the most challenging thing is that I will have to eat all my meals during my work day and when I come home I will only allow myself to drink herbal teas and water.

Some might think that this is crazy and that it won’t work but life is about trial and error and nothing is set in stone. If I really struggle eating early in the day I will have to change things around and eat my meals later and if I find myself waking up in the middle of the night starving then I will obviously need to make changes to combat that as well. All in all, it’s going to be an interesting week, no cheat meals and I will be weighing myself on Sunday, I am pretty sure I will see a big drop if I stick to this 100% as there will be some water weight lost as well.

Onto what I will be eating this week.

I will have three meals, I’ll probably end up having lunch and dinner at the same time at work so they will make a very large meal as I won’t be able to dedicate time to splitting the meals up throughout the day.

For breakfast: A green smoothie with spinach, mango,papaya and pineapple. * Tropical Mix from Aldi

My calories each day will be around 900 kcal and I will take a few different vitamins supplements as well. I am not 100% sure how long I will do the super low calories for but I’ll see how I go, if I need to increase I won’t hesitate to go up to 1200 kcal.